The invention relates to a vehicle including a generator and, particularly, to a vehicle including a generator having a plurality of wires disposed on a stator core in a three-phase winding arrangement.
Small mobile generators are capable of providing a stable 120-volts root-mean-square (VRMS), 60 hertz (Hz) power source. In addition, because the generators are mobile, the generators may be transported to the desired location where electrical power is needed. However, mobile generators are usually placed on a trailer and pulled to the desired location by a vehicle.
Small-engine vehicles, such as riding lawn mowers, tractors, all-terrain vehicles (ATV""s), golf carts, etc., are robust vehicles capable of travelling to remote locations. Small-engine vehicles are also able to pull small mobile generators. However, when the desired location for the generator is in a remote location or across a treacherous landscape, it may be difficult for the small-engine vehicle to pull the trailer carrying the generator to the desired location.
When an operator owns a small-engine vehicle and a mobile generator, the operator""s costs increase. In addition, the operator is required to maintain two pieces of machinery (e.g., maintain two engines). This may not be practical when the mobile generator is infrequently used.
The invention provides a vehicle including a plurality of wheels, an internal combustion engine having a drive shaft interconnected to drive at least one of the wheels, a stator having a core, a plurality of wires disposed on the core in a three-phase winding arrangement, and a flywheel-rotor apparatus. The flywheel-rotor apparatus surrounds at least a portion of the stator and has an aperture that receives the drive shaft. The flywheel-rotor apparatus is operable to magnetically interact with the stator to produce a three-phase alternating current in the wires, and provides inertia to the internal combustion engine. The vehicle further includes power circuitry electrically connected to the wires. The power circuitry receives the three-phase alternating current and controllably generates a single-phase alternating current.
The stator, the plurality of wires, the flywheel-rotor apparatus, and the power circuitry form a generator. The vehicle of the present invention utilizes a three-phase winding arrangement because the power rating for a three-phase generator is typically greater than the power rating for a single-phase stator generator having the same weight. Other features, advantages and embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following detailed description, drawings and claims.